Claims of pressure on MPs are emerging in the wake of Romania’s government collapse.
Right-wing opposition leader George Simion alleges that lawmakers were subject to “phone calls, negotiations, attempts to convince them not to follow the will of the people”.
“The motion of censure is a fully democratic instrument, no matter how much some tried to discredit it in recent days,” he told Brussels Signal today.
“The real problem is not the vote itself, but the pressure that was put on MPs to ignore it — phone calls, negotiations, attempts to convince them not to follow the will of the people,” he added.
Yesterday’s vote was a co-operation between the centre-left Social Democratic Party (PSD), which withdrew last month from the government, and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), aiming to bring down Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
The allegations come as Romania enters yet another political crisis with centrist President Nicușor Dan now tasked with beginning consultations aimed at rebuilding another pro-EU governing coalition.
Simion, whose AUR right-wing party positions itself as anti-establishment and reform-driven, said the vote in parliament reflected deeper public frustration with the political system rather than a simple left-right, pro or anti-European divide.
“Romania’s problem is not its position in Europe, but how decisions are made and in whose interest,” he said
He added that AUR would remain open to dialogue following the collapse of the government but only under strict conditions that align with its political programme.
“We will not trade our principles for positions. We have been very clear: we are not for sale, and we are not here to betray the people who voted for us,” he said.
Following the collapse of PM Bolojan’ governement, Simion said he is “open to discussion” — but not at any cost.
Positioning his party as an anti-establishment force committed to systemic reform, Simion made clear that AUR would rather remain an outsider than endorse any continuation of failed policies.
“AUR is open to discussions, but not to arrangements that repeat the same policies which led to this situation,” he told Brussels Signal.
“We will not trade our principles for positions. We have been very clear: we are not for sale, and we are not here to betray the people who voted for us,” he added.
Simion previously stood as a presidential candidate in the 2024 Romanian election after the disqualification of Călin Georgescu, whose first-round victory was annulled amid allegations of foreign interference.
